Filmi Review

Ah. Finally, it has come- that breeze of fresh air, that booster dose of good, genuine and honest cinema that keeps our cynicism in check, that removes the horrible bitterness that follows months of suffocatingly plastic films that leave you gasping for breath and hope.

Hope comes this Friday in the form of Nishikant Kamat's heart-hitting Mumbai Meri Jaan- hope not only for the future of Indian cinema but also for peace and humanity. A magnificent tribute to the much-abused 'Spirit of Mumbai', Kamat's first Hindi feature (after helming the much acclaimed Dombivli Fast) could be well called India's answer to Crash, but this original and superbly written and performed film deserves better- praise on its own terms, and not through ubiquitous comparisons.

Mumbai Meri Jaan is based on the tragic bomb blasts that hit Mumbai on July 11, 2006, targeting the very veins of the city, the local trains and shaking up the very heart of the city. But rather than being a scalpel that opens those wounds, Mumbai Meri Jaan acts as a healing balm, one that gently rouses and lifts the spirit.

Writers Yogesh Vinayak Joshi and Upendra Sidhaye create a detailed, engrossing script that's thoroughly real, relatable and laced with compelling characters and a wonderful sense of humour- at once both full of comforting warmth and tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. With the backdrop of a terrifying tragedy, the journey of the six main characters of the film vividly delves into the human psychology of fear, hatred, frustration and acceptance. The writing is intelligent, sensitive and serves as a showcase of topical issues without being didactic or preachy, and salutes the city of Mumbai without losing objectivity.

The terrific ensemble cast (one of the best assembled in a Hindi film in a long time) does more than justice to the painstakingly drawn characters, and the performances are all first-rate. Soha Ali Khan couldn't quite take the weight of her demandingly complex character in Khoya Khoya Chand, and she is a lot more in command here playing a journalist who has no qualms about turning stories of human suffering into sensational scoops until a personal tragedy makes the tables turn on her in an almost surreal manner while she looks on helplessly.

Irrfan Khan crafts yet another gripping portrayal as a Tamilian coffee vendor who struggles in frustration to find space for himself in a city that seems to no longer want him. Kay Kay Menon is brilliant as an out-of-work computer salesman who is on the fringes of being a fanatic, underlining his performance with his trademark deadpan comic timing. R. Madhavan is nicely subtle and understated in his role as a man scarred by the blasts and fractured by fear. But the best parts of the film are undoubtedly the ones featuring the Guru-Shishya pair of cops played awesomely by Paresh Rawal and Vijay Maurya. They complement each other beautifully, Maurya's hot-headedness and raw vulnerability serving as a perfect foil for Rawal's character, who with experience has learnt to deal with the unfairness of life with humour.

Maurya is a revelation, but it is Paresh Rawal who stands shoulders above the rest with a humble but towering performance. Each wrinkle on his face reflects the wisdom, pain and understanding accumulated over years of a career with no apparently significant achievement (At his farewell, all that his immediate senior can muster in praise of him is that he cracked wonderful jokes). But while he may not know it, it is he who truly embodies the unbeatable, resilient spirit of the city, and that is his real accomplishment. What joy it is to see one of our country's most skilled and underused actors finally feature in a film that does justice to those vast reservoirs of talent lying wasted all this while. Rawal is good as gold, and in a film full of delicious dialogue he is given to best lines, and he delivers them with the calm assurance of a veteran. Even when the film teeters towards tedium, Rawal is the jaan of Mumbai Meri Jaan keeping the film throbbing and alive.

Technically too, the film is first rate- while the fact that Kamat's direction is outstanding is a given, Sanjay Jadhav's gritty camerawork splendidly captures the ethos of the film and the city, and the background score is resonating, quite like the film itself.

Yes, the film isn't without it's faults- the Soha Ali Khan track is a tad weak and unconvincing in comparison to the others - why she would willingly allow herself to become a victim is something one can't really fathom completely, and the writers' keenness to wrap up everything neatly means that the film is about 15 minutes too late by the time it reaches its wonderful culmination. But quibbles aside- it's still an experience that's not to be missed, and besides, when art mirrors life so closely and beautifully, it's only apt that it too, like life, is forgiven its minor imperfections.

"Mumbai Meri Jaan" is a sincere attempt to capture the aftermath of the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai's local trains that ripped apart the city's lifeline on July 11, 2006, killing 80 innocent commuters and leaving scores injured.

By recounting the individual trauma of a few of those affected, director Nishikant Kamat tries to delve into the genesis of communalism through the everyday life of Mumbai's common people.

Though Kamat's objective is noble, he succeeds in his enterprise only partially in terms of communicating to the viewers what he intends to say.

Although the movie ends with Hindus and Muslims of the city regaining their trust in each other, what precedes is a tale of hatred, distrust, helplessness and anguish, a tale which is also about ineffectual police administration, unconcerned and unfeeling about the woes of the common men.

In essence, the underlying theme of "Mumbai Meri Jaan" is to show the city's mood in the face of odds. But that does not come off on the screen as convincingly as it should have.

Scenes are repetitive and the delineation sketchy. Before one can absorb the mood of a scene, it dissolves into another of the same nature.

Perhaps, by intention, the script has no strong characters, because the writer's objective is to present Mumbai as a composite character, a city braving the after effects of the blasts.

The only character that stays with the viewers is the one of a Hindu fanatic played by Kay Kay Menon. The actor delivers the goods by his convincing portrayal of man obsessed with his hate-Muslim campaign.

As constable Tukaram Patil, a symbol of decadence in the police department, Paresh Rawal, as usual, acquits himself splendidly. The performance of Vijay Maurya in his role of Sunil Kadam, Patil's younger colleague, but who is diametrically opposite to him, is praiseworthy.

Soha Ali Khan actually springs a surprise in the movie by giving a realistic performance in a deglamourised role of Rupali Joshi. She plays a TV reporter, who is traumatized by the devastating effects of the train blasts in which she has lost her fiancé. Kamat has extracted the best out of her so far.

R. Madhavan, as Nikhil Agarwal, an IT professional, and Irrfan Khan, as Thomas, a roadside coffee vendor, do the best within the limited scope the script provides them.

Madhavan moons about India's future and Khan does his best to spite the country's mall-obsessed middle-class, but why he does so is not clear.

In sum, "Mumbai Meri Jaan" is the director's tribute to the spirit and resilience of Mumbai and its people. The theme of the movie is commendable, but the narration lacks spontaneity. This is because Kamat wants to tell the story through the lives of too many people, so that, by doing so, he loses the thread here and there.

Nevertheless, the movie is worth watching. A movie like this helps society to introspect, to find its strength and drawbacks. Better still, it helps Hindus and Muslims to understand each other better.

Professionals of the VFX studio, Tata Elexi, deserve kudos for simulating the blast sequences with awesome reality. This one sequence would be enough for the viewers of "Mumbai Meri Jaan" to comprehend the brutality of the murderers, otherwise known as terrorists.

Mumbai Meri Jaan
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan, Soha Ali Khan
Direction: Nishikant Kamat



His moustache more salt than pepper and bemused with the ways of the police force, a senior cop is about to retire. And at his modest farewell function, he delivers a speech that knocks you out of your seat. Touching on quite a few of the pitfalls and ironies of Bombay – from malls at former mill areas to dreams of migration turning into nightmares -- it’s the kind of Paresh Rawal, as the retiring cop, in fact turns out to be the sturdiest track of Nishikant Kamat’s sarcastically-titled Mumbai Meri Jaan, alluding to a ’56 song from CID. Mr Rawal is fantastic, belting out a performance that’s not only world class but a text book in acting.
speech that’s delivered every day, at various farewell parties, in various spheres.

Paresh Rawal, as the retiring cop, in fact turns out to be the sturdiest track of Nishikant Kamat’s sarcastically-titled Mumbai Meri Jaan, alluding to a ’56 song from CID. Mr Rawal is fantastic, belting out a performance that’s not only world class but a text book in acting.

And he is flanked by Vijay Maurya, as a rookie cop, who is also nothing short of extraordinary. Besides these two absolutely garland-worthy performances, Kamat’s report on the before and after scenario of the local train bomb blasts in July 11, 2006 – in which 209 were killed and 700 injured -- has heart. As importantly, it has a mind which cannot delete a devastating tragedy from his workfile.

Kamat analyses the reasons behind the devastation. Sensibly, he doesn’t offer quickfix solutions. The stories of disparate lives, like Life in a Metro but with a sense of purpose, weave into a tapestry of tragedy. The screenplay by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi-Upendra Sidhaye works seamlessly as it has a point of focus. Also, Kamat’s direction is Hercules-strong, be it while depicting the blasts or the charade played by a tea vendor from Tamil Nadu, on a row of shopping malls. A bit dangerous to show the modus operandi of hoax calls, but the vendor (Irrfan Khan, excellent ) does redeem himself, to underscore the point that there’s a reason behind every crime, big or small.

The storylets of the cops and the tea vendor work. So does that of a Muslim-hater (Kay Kay Menon) but for that unconvincing all’s-well-let’s-share-a- chai denouement. In addition, the shock of the byte-obsessed TV reporter (Soha Ali Khan, credible ) is poignant when the tables turn on her.

Of all the accounts, it’s the numbness of a white-collar worker (Madhavan) which isn’t quite plausible. Why would a man who has gone through a near-death experience hide this from his family? Also, the background music for this section– with an incessant electronic beep – makes you plug your ears. Again, in an effort to cram in too much, there’s a gratuitous look at an NRI’s condition in the U S, which in any case comes across loud and clear in the dialogue.

Yet, the sheer power, concern and the guts of such a close-to-life effort far outweigh the flaws. Technically, Sanjay Jadhav’s camerawork is inspired. The result is serious, strong and sharp at a time of Kinng-sized entertainment. There’s room for every kind of film. And this fist-packed one asserts that there’s more to cinema besides jumping on and off helicopters.